Wagner Woods: Tradition, a Hidden Brook, and a Disc Golf Course
Hike #3!
Baseball is life right now, which means free time is a precious commodity this time of year. When the weekend finally offered a small window, we did what we’ve been doing: we laced up, grabbed our gear, and found a short trail we could fit into our schedule.
This week’s hike was a short one — Wagner Woods in Simsbury — but don’t let the distance fool you. This place has been part of our family story for a long time. We’ve made a tradition of hiking it on New Year’s Day, kicking off each year with fresh air and familiar ground.
New Years Day 2022
There’s something really grounding about returning to a place that holds that kind of memory, especially now that we’re doing it with new purpose and new eyes.
Wagner Woods trailhead
Wagner Woods is a flat, easy loop around a meadow, and at first glance it might not seem like much. But it has a few things up its sleeve.
As you emerge from a short walk through the trees, you’re greeted by the stone ruins of an old farmhouse — the Stierle Farm, established in 1934.
The ruins of Stierle Farm
There’s something about old stone foundations that never gets old for me. If you’ve spent any time hiking in New England, you know exactly what I mean. They’re everywhere — tucked into forests, half-swallowed by trees, quietly anchoring a landscape that has long since moved on. They’re the exclamation points of local history, scattered across every trail, and I find them fascinating and beautiful.
We continued around the meadow, which was putting on a proper spring show.
Nature is awakening
Forsythia still going strong, wildflowers starting to poke through — New England in late April is all about awakening.
One of the many stone walls of New England
On the far side of the meadow, a short path follows a stone wall down to Hop Brook.
We took a short detour to Hop Brook
It’s the kind of spot that earns the word “babbling” — small, clear, and completely peaceful. Sam found his spot on the bank and settled in.
A moment of zen by the brook
We stayed a little longer than planned.
Just beyond a gap in the stone wall is one of our favorite perks of this trail: a free, beautifully maintained disc golf course on the grounds of the neighboring church. We almost always bring discs when we come here, and this visit was no exception.
Winding up for a big shot
It’s peaceful in a way that’s not hard to explain — open field, no crowds, good company.
Steve immediately demonstrated why you should always warm up before throwing from a wooded tee box. His arm found a tree branch before the disc did. He recovered. We played. Sam sank a beauty and all three of us celebrated like he’d just won the Masters. We’re all competitive in this family, and disc golf on a peaceful Saturday morning is, I would argue, a pretty perfect way to spend an hour.
Celebrating Sam’s winning shot
On the way back, we stopped at a little bench and took a moment.
A peaceful bench break
No agenda. Just the three of us in the quiet, with the kind of easy contentment that short trails somehow deliver just as well as long ones.
Wagner Woods is the kind of trail that keeps reminding us why we started this whole thing. You don’t have to go far to feel it.
►️ Watch our full Wagner Woods video on YouTube — link below!